Many areas of the world do not have sufficient water delivered by the forces of nature to satisfy the population's needs to survive. If these areas suffer the consequences of drought then many people will die through lack of water or by drinking contaminated water: Their crops will fail, their animals will die and recovery from the famine will be a long and painful process.
Technology to purify salt or brackish water has been constantly developed since the 19th Century when people knew that it was a simple matter to boil water and condense the vapour on a surface having a low temperature. Reclaiming the heat energy needed to boil the water in order to use the same energy again proved to be more difficult. Various attempts have been made to improve the energy efficiency of water desalination over the years but these have generally been more or less complex and cumbersome, and of relatively limited efficacy.
It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimize one or more of the above problems and/or disadvantages.